I swear to God, I looked around slowly, just in case we had somehow been transported back to 1955 and no one bothered to tell me. I wanted to make sure because I wasn’t wearing my starched dress and kitten heels and I had, you know, driven myself to the store and paid for my purchases with my own money and I didn’t want to get in trouble.

I just looked at her and took my bags. I think I gave her quite the withering glare, but I’m not sure it made any difference.

I got in the car and thought about my friend who adopted a baby from China and how a girl at the pediatrician’s office asked her if her baby was flexible because of those Chinese Acrobats she’d “seen down there in Pigeon Forge”. She thought it was hilarious. I was somewhat horrified.

I thought about the things that I should have said, which include the aforementioned, “You’re an ignorant redneck” and possibly, “Jane you ignorant slut” and “You really need to wax your upper lip” thrown in for good measure.

Then I thought, “Man, I’d like to move to a place where people aren’t quite so backward. That woman just did not turn out.”

I literally fell off my chair. Because one? Your son does not look like he comes from China in any way. Two? CHINAMAN? Sweetie Pie's 80-year old grandfather used to use that expression and it would make me laugh, because he was an 80-year old redneck who didn't know that terms like that went out of style in the early 60's.

Freaking crazy!

Maybe you just misunderstood her through her thick mustache. Maybe she said that your son looks like a China fan. As in a fan of their Olympic team?

How old was this woman? Myabe she hasn't been to Pigeon Forge to check out them there acrobats. You really don't know whether to laugh or cry - it is just one of those things you never expect to hear. It isn't like you would love your son any less if he did have "slanty eyes." Geez!

Ok, Chick, you know I like you, but for the love of Ellen you should have said something to that ignorant asshole. Can I say asshole on your blog? OMG BECKY!! Imagine what you sone must have felt! Seriously I dont know how you kept it inside! You need to hang out more with me. Wait, maybe then you might become too outspoken.

My family is like a rainbow (chinese, iranian, mexican, english, scotish, white-south africa and good old heinz 57 - oh, and an aunt 6 generations back from the South called Jemima, and I wonder why I got kinky hair on the back of my neck when I sweat -uh, when the rest is shiny & straight as a board) and we all have a sense of humour about stuff like this.

Generally, I've found that humour helps ease this kinda situation when slipping a point in;). Nasty never helps. And rarely educates coz walls go up in the face of nasty.

It is messed up. But a lot of things are. She'll probably never forget -- and in future will think twice before verbally vomitting every musing thought that comes to her. Whether she meant it offensively or not.

I meant to add that I'm so glad I found you blog. You do know (I mean, you read your comments, right?) that I spent two whole days obsessively glued to my computer, reading all of your archives. From beginning to present. But, I promise - I'm not a stalker. Just a connoisseur of good humour and snark.

Take heart, Chick. It's not just in the South that people act like rednecks. Heck, even here in the Midwest they can be true and total morons. My favorite was when I was at the grocery store, loading the belt with $8,000 worth of groceries for our family. Dude in front of us (who was NOT that old) said, "How many people do you HAVE in your family?" I told him that we had a family of 7... me, hubby, 5 kids. He said... get this...

"Do you even KNOW what it's like to NOT be pregnant?"

I sooooo wish I had had a great one-line comeback to that one. It just ticked me off so much I was silent. I'm hoping that I gave him the withering glare. I'm not sure, though.

People are filled with stupid - that's all there is to it. Everytime I think I've seen the height of stupidity, I'm proven horribly, horribly wrong.

Be encouraged by the fact that it ain't just the south, though. I've had people up here in the suburbs of the 3rd largest city in the US say some of the brain fartiest crap about my little guy with Down Syndrome. I've had people say they would pray for his "healing" (since it's a disease like cancer or something - not a genetic thing around since, oh, I dunno, CONCEPTION) or ask me if I"m feeding him because he's so much smaller than other kids his age. Because, no. I decided not to feed him. Because it's 1732 and I'm going to starve my evil devil retard Mongoloid baby to death.

There just aren't enough withering stares, scathing comments or boots to the head for people like that.

an addendum: after I finished my comment I remembered: again, we live in THE CITY and down the street from our house there is a "Wal-Mart" affectionately (not really) dubbed 'G-Mart' (g-ghetto) because when we first moved here the patrons in front of us were missing teeth and wearing wife beater t-shirts. I was so surprised as I am from Kentucky where this is a pretty common sight and I had moved to Las Vegas and seriously remember thinking "I thought this was THE CITY".

ps the cashier was a CHINA WOMAN with a giant mole on her chin and a 6 inch hair growing out of it. I was freaked out until a year later when I was recounting the story (3 years ago...) and I was informed that in that culture a long chin hair is good luck.

I live in Toronto. Smack in the city centre. We have legalized gay marriages. And, I'm not sure, but I think, so long as it's under an ounce, carrying personal pot is also legal. A few years ago I'd have known for certain.

My in-laws live in Mobile, Alabama. Their city voted against recycling. Oh... and they actually have a "Mobile Association for Retarded Citizens." Seriously. They've even got a website.